Editorial: Poor planning

With more social services on the chopping block for funding, the United States government might want to reconsider its threat to cut off the nation’s pioneer of sex education.

Supporters of Planned Parenthood rallied Oct. 2 in DeWitt Park in response to proposed funding cuts and investigations into the organization’s expenses and policies. They wanted to raise awareness about the essential health education services Planned Parenthood provides to the community.

Protesters also called out the purported “just anti-abortion” opinion of Congress, which they believe is behind investigations into Planned Parenthood’s use of federal funds. The government is requesting that the organization prove no funds were used for abortions and that it complies with child victim laws.

If misuse of funding was occurring on a nationwide basis, Congress would have a reason to conduct audits on Planned Parenthood. However, most reports of malpractice involve individual offices.

For more than 40 years, schools, youth bureaus and community groups have depended on Planned Parenthood to provide sex education and affordable contraception. To call the entire organization’s practices into question and threaten funding cuts would be detrimental to the state of American sexual health.